Category: news

Bloody Christmas

(full story) A tiger escaped from the zoo today and attacked 3 people.  One person died, 2 others were injured.  I was on the channel when it happened and lord did the quiet evening take off. [1]Actually, it was the only excitement in the day.

I can’t say much more out of confidentiality rules however, it is still unknown how the tigers got loose.  I feel sorry for the victims but also the poor animal.  The officers had to shoot one and kill it after it attacked another person.  It was probably scared and just reacting to its natural instincts.  Frak, they are predatory animals after all. 

I love zoos but it gives me pause to wonder if caging wild animals is such a good idea.  Most zoos tend to hold animals in tight quarters.  And while they do make a very good effort of maintaining animals physical and mental health, it is not the same as being loose in the wild.  Animals like tigers need room to range and exercise their skills.  In this latest caper, I’m sure it had more to do with the animal being scared and threatened than anything else.  I’m guessing of course.  I can’t shake the feeling that we hold some responsibility though.  We take these animals, who were never meant to be tamed, and introduce them to an environment of confinement and denial of their basic instincts.

It is worth mentioning this particular tiger was the very same tiger from last year this time that attacked a trainer.  Some would say maybe the animal deserved it.  I’m not so sure. 

References

References
↑1 Actually, it was the only excitement in the day.

High Priced Soda

I happen to overhear recently that SF is proposing a tax on businesses that carry and sell sodas.  More precisely, Mayor Newsom has proposed the tax and hoping the Board of Sups. will run with it.

On the surface, I don’t really agree with it but after further thought, I’m not so sure.  Soda (made w/corn syrup, the high fructose kind) is one of the top contributors to obesity in this country.  I challenge you to find a person severely obese who doesn’t drink sugared sodas.  [1]I know I’ve never found one   High Fructose Corn Syrup or HFCS as a simple sugar that is absorbed very easily by the body.  What many people don’t know is that it actually reduces the insulin receptors response.  Translated, it means a person is more prone to developing diabetes.  HFCS has also been shown to interfere with the hearts ability to process vital minerals.  I could go on and on but you get the point. [2]I actually stopped drinking sugared sodas during my EMT training.  We got the full laundry list of damages.  The irony is HFCS is much more expensive to make however, because of government contracts and subsidies on corn in the US it becomes more profitable than regular cane sugar.

Soda is also NOT a necessity.  It is a luxury item.  I have no problem with SF taxing luxury items to help offset the growing medical burdens of society. I can’t really see equating corn syrup to carcinogens in cigarettes however, the mounting evidence against HFCS doesn’t lie.  I guess here I’d fall back on the old adage, "everything in moderation."  The problem is we have become a society of excess.  We do almost nothing in moderation. 

I don’t really know if Newsom’s idea will succeed or not.  I applaud him for attempting to do something rather than nothing.  However, his measure is a tiny band-aid on a sore the size of Texas.  Until we educate our children on the value of good nutrition, [3]when was the last time you saw a school curriculum that included more than a passing stab at nutrition? and the dangers of sugared sodas, the problem will continue to grow. (pun intended)

References

References
↑1 I know I’ve never found one
↑2 I actually stopped drinking sugared sodas during my EMT training.  We got the full laundry list of damages.
↑3 when was the last time you saw a school curriculum that included more than a passing stab at nutrition?

Politi-damn!

I rarely weigh in on politics. I often say, ‘there are plenty of fine bloggers out there beating that horse enough‘.

After reading Mark Morford today, I just felt the need to share. If you haven’t yet discovered this linguistical genius of a man, you need to read his current take on the whole gay GOP scandals. He has so many one-line zingers it may take me months to assimilate them all. I give you just a sample of his current rant.

Not our military, a massively warped organization apparently far more terrified of gays than of dropping its entrance barrier so dangerously low it makes good soldiers nervous, not the seminary with the pitter-patter of young men’s feet from bunk to bunk after light’s out, not the megachurches with their deep, eternal, fetishistic fascination with all things anal and perverted and hookeriffic and yummy.

The real irony? He is heterosexual.

Do Tell!

I’m still catching up from the weekend trip however, I just had to share this. I’m probably inviting drama however, I was so tickled by the sheer ‘ignunce‘ of this email, I had to share it. It came from an anonymous source.1 The bold text is my ‘two cents’ being thrown in.

Fagget Moby – not your real name: Duh! That was a no-brainer

You are biggest fake on web. Your blog is full of lies and you nothing but a dirty lying fagget. You desgust me and I am going to tell everyone about you.

Uh, Ok. You clearly reveal you don’t know me. As for me, I am a faggot so if you were hoping to hurt my feelings, you failed miserably.

I know you grew up and your family. I know the lies you keep from them and I am going to tell them what dirty fagget you are.

Again, you reveal you truly don’t know me or my family.2

So in fairness, I’ll ask a few questions. Do you blog? Where is it? How do you plan to “expose” me for the ‘lying fagget’ I am? I tell you what, I’ll go one further and allow your IP open access to post. That is, if you can provide a real one. In other words, bring it bitch!

No, me thinks you might be related to a certain other “blogger” that commented on Homer’s blog a few days ago. Would that be a fair assumption?


Disclaimer: No, I don’t think this is the same person everyone else seems hell-bent on crucifying lately.

1 Skipping the obvious syntax and spelling errors, the IP in the header was bogus so I’m not so sure where it came from.
2 There is very little of my immediate family left anyway and they all know about me. Hello? Did you actually read the fucking blog?

Fess Up

Two big scandals happened today. One, I told someone I barely know a secret about myself.1 I was actually a little surprised I did. It was rather personal and I’ve only known the person a short while. However, I feel like my trust is well placed. He has a complimentry background to mine so naturally he understood me. It left me with a nice feeling. We met thru my blog and have met in person several times. Yet another affirmation of what blogging can do if you use it to your advantage.

*

Scandal #2.
I talked to the flight attendant today! I know what you are thinking but no2. I’m not going there again. lol We both needed some time after our last interaction to cool down. Anyway, I texted him just to say hi and he called me a few minutes later. We had a very nice heartfelt and blunt conversation.

He is still struggling w/his current relationship but I kept out of that for the most part. He has to come to terms w/it on his own. I’ve had enough time to cool my heels so I felt pretty objective about it. My original opinion remains and I offered it. I also made it clear I would like to remain his friend. For a variety of reasons, I feel like he came into my life for a reason. I’m not sure exactly what yet but I rarely ignore my hunches. I digress. The physical connection between us did come up in the conversation. We both feel it is still too soon for us to hang out again. I will admit hearing him admit to it put a smile on my face. Mainly, it means I can trust my ability to read him. I trust heavily in my ability to read (or not read) a person. After our last interaction, I had doubts. Our chat today confirmed I wasn’t letting my own feelings get in the way.

So I’m sure your asking “what now?“. Well nothing really. He isn’t coming to visit. I’m not expecting anything from him at this point. I’m not really offering anything other than friendship either. I enjoy his conversation and similar mentality so I’m sure we’ll continue to chat. If (and that is a big if) things change w/his current fling, I might reconsider that. However, the future is a devious thing. And lets face it, I’ve never really been one to wait around for something. Patience is sooo not one of my better virtues. heehee

1 Yes, I still have secrets. I know that is hard to believe.
2 Somebody call Jerry Springer!

Prom or Porn?

First things first, Brettcajun made it safe and sound! hehehe Public transist is new to him so we had to go over it a few times. It is good to see Brett again. He is still his normal charming rascally self. I had to bail for work but left him in the capable hands of my roomie’s boyfriend who is also in town.

Speaking of, I routinely forget my roomie did porn (google Ray Stone). When you know someone as well as he and I know each other you just sort of black it out. lol It doesn’t help that his boyfriend has also just made the jump into porn. (Ty Lebouf on hothouse’s blog) So, Ty being from New Orleans naturally knew Brett. hehehe. It is a small world after all. I left them together laughing and cutting up at the apartment. Lord only knows what kind of mischief they’ll get into today.

Oddball News

I thought I’d take a break from rambling on and on about me for a change and share some really oddballs news stories.

(full story) A NEW York man has sued the makers of a health drink, saying it has given him a permanent erection for the last two years.

This for Boost Energy drink. Can you say frivolous? What a maroon!

(full story) An environmental group asked the federal government Tuesday to ban a class of toxic chemical compounds that are found in industrial and household detergents and are believed to cause male fish to develop female characteristics.

Screw the fish, what about the affect on Humans?!


(full story) Scientists have set a new record in sending information through thin air using the revolutionary technology of quantum teleportation – although Mr Spock may have to wait a little longer for a Scotty to beam him up with it.

Now this is downright spooky. Think about it. Teleportation even in the simplest form just boggles the mind. To think we are already developing applicable theories is amazing. I guess science really does mirror science-fiction.

There is a God

And he does smite his enemies. I know I’m late to the party but I just found out Jerry Falwell is dead. I say good riddance to bad rubbish. What an insidious and evil man he was. I’m not normally someone who would celebrate a death however, the world is a better place w/o him spewing his vile filth over the air waves.

I personally think it was his conscience that killed him.

Can of Worms

Just when I think I’ve learned all I can about myself, life throws me yet another curve ball. There is so much irony in this post it borders on hilarity.

I opened a can of worms tonight. Unlike my professional behavior, I have absolutely no patience when it comes to my heart. I ran into my soon-to-be-single friend again tonight at Starbucks. 1 He sits down and I was dead set on keeping it casual. His ex hasn’t moved out yet and I’m determined not to be a rebound. Ha! So much for that. We start talking and before I knew it, I was asking him what happened between us. I mean, I knew the first time was my fault. I wasn’t ready and I pushed him away. I readily admit that. It is not something I’m particularly proud of but it was my M.O. for quite awhile. Never intentionally but that doesn’t make it ok. Out of my own insecurities, I used to come on rather strong when I met someone new. However, once the newness wore off and I actually got to know the guy underneath, I would get bored and move on. Not very nice to the other person who thinks my strong signals mean more than they did. I’ve realized that about myself. The twist here is with M I didn’t get bored. It scared me and I ran. I don’t think I’ve ever shared this and I don’t like admitting it but, I hate fear as an emotion. Growing up in constant fear of my step-mother gave me that.2

What I didn’t know was the second time was sorta my fault as well. Turns out, he was more than a little hurt after the first time (unsurprisingly) and was afraid to get too close to me again. So, he pushed me away before I could do it to him a second time. The thing about me and attraction, I like to know the guy I’m into is into me. Unbeknownst to him of course, I was ready the second time and his lack of conviction hurt me. Tit for tat? Possibly but I doubt it. M is probably the only person I’ve ever broken things off with and regretted it aftewards. It didn’t help that right after our second split he met his new guy.3

Learning all of this brought me to tears. Not a gully washer but I did get a little teary-eyed. Here is the part where the preverbal can “gets opened”. He teared up as well. I knew, at that moment, he still cared for me. I pushed and I pushed hard. I couldn’t help myself. I apologized for the pain I caused him. I also told him I wanted him to have some space but when he is ready, I want to try again. I meant it too. I can’t say where it will lead but I’m ready this time. I think he is too.

The last great irony here? I don’t think it would have worked between us if I hadn’t had the fall out w/Drew. He shared w/me he also didn’t think it would have worked had he not met his soon-to-be ex.

My head and my heart are all a jumble at the moment.

1 Irony 1, this is where we first met.
2 Irony 2, this had a big influence on my pursuit of Drew when we met 3 months later.
3 Irony 3, even though he didn’t say it, I had the distinct impression, our failed second attempt pushed him to pursue the new guy as hard as he did. Are you laughing yet?

Congressional Honor

Convicted Lawmakers may lose Pensions

(full story) The Senate on Friday voted 87-0 to strip away the pensions of members of Congress convicted of white-collar crimes such as bribery, perjury and fraud. That could result in benefit losses of more than $100,000 a year.

Wow! Finally some good news to come out of Congress. Say what you will about our gal Nancy but, she is spearheading some serious reform legislation. Who knows, maybe we’ll actually be able to trust politicians again? Ok, I know that is stretching it but one can hope.